The Mistletoe Trick
by Katie Mae
Summary: Gin Kohana, Greg Carbunkle's best friend from school, plays a little trick at Christmastime ... Pairings are JB, JessieSheldon, TuckLucy, GregGin. not all OC's are mine, see inside for details
1. Part One

What I don't own: "My Life as a Teenage Robot" and all characters from the show, as well as Greg and June Carbunkle and the original idea for this story.  
What I co-own: Gin Kohana  
What I own: Lucy Nolan, Jessie Lee (formerly Jessie Wakeman) and the plot.

A/N: This story came from a picture drawn by very own Nintendo Maximus. He and I have been communicating a lot about MLaaTR, ever since I wrote _Phoenix Fire_ a while back and created the fully human version of Jenny. He had already created Greg and June, who are Brad and Jenny's kids, but he asked me for ideas for Greg's romantic interest. Between the two of us, we created Gin Kohana. As a cute Christmas picture, NM drew human Greg (he was originally half-robot, before I wrote _Phoenix Fire_), with many lipstick stains on his face, saying to a giggling Gin, "Hey, I thought you said we were under mistletoe...?" I loved the picture so much, it sparked the idea for this story, so here we are. I see this happening when Greg and Gin are about 12 or 13. All other character's ages are adjusted accordingly (meaning I don't know anyone else's ages). To see the picture, visit http (colon slash slash) www . deviantart . com (slash) deviation (slash) 26616825 (remember to take out the spaces and put in the proper symbols)

_TheMistletoe Trick_

Greg Carbunkle sat eagerly by the front window, watching the street in front of his house. It was Christmas Day, and his family was on their way for Christmas dinner and presents.

Greg grinned when he saw the first car pull into the driveway. A short, white-haired woman stepped out, walked around to the back of the car, and extricated two large bags of gifts from the trunk. As the woman approached the front door, Greg hopped down from the window seat and ran to open the door for her. "Grandma!" he yelled in delight.

"Merry Christmas, Gregory," Nora Wakeman said with a smile. Greg took one of the bags from her hand and gave her a large hug. They set the packages under the Christmas tree just as a second vehicle came onto the property. A minute later, a tall, gangly man with black hair entered the home, followed by a robot woman.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Sheldon and Aunt Jessie!" Greg said, embracing them both.

"Merry Christmas Greg!" Jessie Lee replied. "Where are your parents and sister?"

"In the kitchen," Jenny called through a doorway. "We'll be out in a sec!"

"Hey, Greg, what's this I hear about a new girl at school?" Sheldon asked. "Your mom was telling me about her last time we talked."

"Oh, yeah, Gin. She's gonna come over later," Greg explained.

"Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Greg blushed. "No way, Uncle Sheldon. If she was my girlfriend I'd have to kiss her and all that other mushy stuff."

Sheldon chuckled. "Just wait, Greg. Someday, you're gonna _want _a girl to kiss you."

Greg studied Sheldon's face for a bit, trying to determine if he was serious, before shuddering in disgust. "Gross."

By this time, Jenny, Brad and June Carbunkle had all come into the living room. "So, where are my little brother and that fiancée of his?" Brad asked.

"Right here," Tuck Carbunkle said, walking into the house. He stomped his feet on the entry carpet, as it had started to snow and the white powder was all over the soles of his shoes. Following closely behind was Lucy Nolan, Tuck's childhood sweetheart and fiancée. Tuck was carrying the gifts, and Lucy had a casserole dish in her hand. "It's too bad Mom and Dad are in Miami; they could have been here to celebrate with us."

"Well, I'm sure they're having fun and enjoying their retirement," Brad said, helping Tuck put the gifts under the tree.

Tuck turned around and scooped Greg into a big bear hug. "Merry Christmas, Greg-man!" he said enthusiastically.

Greg laughed and replied, "Merry Christmas, Uncle Tuck!"

The family sat down and promptly began opening gifts. Brad and Tuck were as bad as Greg and June, shaking the gifts to try to figure out what was inside. Jenny and Jessie were taking photos like mad, for scrapbooks and family photo albums.

By the time the gift giving was over, Greg had amassed a GameStation XP, along with three games and an extra controller; five pairs of socks; two sweaters; three pairs of pants; a new Silver Shell action figure and first-edition #1 "Adventures of the Silver Shell" comic book for his collection (from Sheldon, who was the creator and writer of said comic); and $30 in iSongs gift cards for his iMod MP3 player. He took his gifts upstairs to his room and put everything away.

As he was coming downstairs, he heard a knock at the door. Everyone else had moved into the dining room for dinner, so he answered the knock.

"Hey, Gin! Merry Christmas!" Greg said. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Greg. Merry Christmas to you, too," Gin Kohana replied with a smile. Greg and Gin walked into the dining room.

"Everyone, this is Gin Kohana, my friend from school. Gin, this is my uncle, Sheldon Lee, and my Aunt Jessie. You already know my Uncle Tuck and my grandma."

"It's nice to meet you, Gin," Sheldon said with a smile.

"And you, Mr. Lee," Gin replied. Greg showed Gin to her seat, between him and June, and the group began to eat.

After dinner, Greg and Gin went up to Greg's room and played with Greg's new GameStation XP. A few hours later, at about 8:30, Gin announced that it was time for her to leave.

"I've got to get home. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked as she put on her gloves.

"Of course! I'll be at the park all day."

"Okay." She put on her hat. Greg helped her wrap her scarf around her neck.

Gin smiled, and looked up briefly. "Mistletoe."

"Huh?" Greg asked. He tried to look up, but Gin kissed him swiftly on the cheek. He blushed as she continued giving him little pecks on his cheeks and nose. Getting caught up in the moment, Greg grabbed her by the scarf and pulled her in for a proper kiss on the lips, lingering for a few seconds.

When Greg and Gin finally parted, the boy's face was covered in stains from Gin's lipstick. He looked up, but saw nothing. "Hey, I thought you said we were under mistletoe…?"

Gin covered her mouth with her hand and looked away from Greg, suppressing a giggle. "No, all I said was 'mistletoe'. I never said that there was any up there."

Greg looked at her with astonishment for a moment. "You mean…" Suddenly, he blushed bright red. "Well, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Greg. Merry Christmas." With a final wave, Gin set off down the street toward her house.

Greg's mind was full of confusion and wonder as he walked into the living room, where the adults were having a discussion over coffee and cookies. Sheldon looked at him, and burst out laughing. "Didn't I tell you, Greg?"

Blushing once again, Greg just walked back up to his room, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "crazy uncles".

That night, as Greg was lying in bed, his mind kept drifting back to that moment. He couldn't help but remember how soft Gin's lips had felt. Reflecting back on the whole day, he realized that it had been a very good Christmas—mostly because of Gin's unexpected mistletoe trick.


	2. Part Two

A/N: This takes place two years later, and Greg and Gin are both fifteen. Some of the things in this part don't really work with younger teens; even fourteen is a little too young. It just works better here to have it be later, and make them older. Oh, and I figure that Greg and Gin haven't really started dating yet, so they know about the basics of dating, but they have no firsthand experience, unlike their older sisters. And because of that, they didn't realize until now that what they've been feeling for each other is different from a completely platonic relationship.

Oh, Hoku Kohana is mine. Also, _Gotta Love Pooches_ is a direct play on _Must Love Dogs_, which I thought was an absolutely adorable movie.

_The Mistletoe Trick: Part Two_

_Two Years Later, December 22_

Greg walked into the park, wanting to have some time alone.To his surprise, Ginwas sitting on the swing set, having cleared the snow from one of the swings. No one else was around. "Hey, Gin," Greg said, clearing off the seat next to her and sitting down. They both started to swing.

"Morning, Greg." Gin's face was pink from the cold and wind (or so Greg thought).

Greg took a deep breath. "Gin?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that Christmas, a couple of years ago, when you came over for dinner?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I wanted to know...why'd you kiss me?"

Gin stopped swinging, but didn't answer right away. Finally, she said, "I thought it was the right thing to do."

"Oh." Greg stopped, too.

"Why?"

"Just wondering."

A moment later, "You know my sister, Hoku? She told me I should do it."

"Oh. Why?"

"She had told me that's what girls are supposed to do. She'd said girls are supposed to tease and flirt and kiss boys. That it 'drives guys up the wall'."

"Oh." Greg dug the toe of his boot into the snow until he reached the ground beneath.

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you kiss me back?"

"What?" Greg looked at her with confusion.

"I was kissing you on the cheek, but you kissed me on the lips." Gin looked at him pointedly. "You grabbed my scarf, pulled me closer to you, and kissed me."

"Oh, yeah…" Greg mumbled something incoherent.

"What?" Gin asked.

"I don't really know."

"I'd asked my sister about it when I'd gotten home. She told me that sometimes, guys get caught up in the moment, that they don't actually like a girl even though they kiss her. I told her that you like me; after all, we're best friends."

"Of course we are!" Greg replied.

"But Hoku told me that there's a difference between liking someone as a friend and liking them as a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"I've heard June talk about that before. She was telling my mom about this guy that she thought was cute and that liked her, but that another guy had asked her out that she only thought of as a friend."

Gin nodded. "Hoku's had that happen to her, too."

Greg looked at Gin again. "Yeah, and it's starting to happen to us. I mean, my best guy friend is dating now."

"Yeah, so's my best girl friend. I think it's something that everyone goes through."

Greg stood and walked around behind Gin, giving her a push. He'd realized something since that night two years ago, but he didn't quite know how to say it. He breathed deeply, and took the plunge. "But…what if one of us starts to like someone in that way? Will that change our friendship?"

"I don't think so," Gin said. "At least, I hope not."

Greg swallowed hard. "Hypothetically speaking, what if I started to like you, Gin?"

Gin dragged her feet along the ground to stop herself. "Huh?" she asked, turning around to look at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I want to know."

"Well, that would definitely change our friendship."

"How so?"

"Well…hypothetically speaking, of course…if I liked you too, then we'd probably start going out."

"And if you didn't?"

"It would be weird, but I think we could still be friends."

"How would it be weird?" Greg asked.

"I think it would be weird because I'd know that you like me, but I don't like you. I might feel guilty because I don't like you, and then I might be angry with you for making me feel guilty, even thought it wouldn't be your fault."

"Oh." Greg lowered his head a little.

"But that'll never happen, will it?"

"No, never!" Greg replied, a little too strongly.

Gin tried to look at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. "Greg…what's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

"…" Gin stood from the swing and tagged Greg. "You're it!" She ran away from Greg, laughing wildly.

With a small smile, Greg chased Gin across the park. Just as he was reaching out to tag her, Greg slipped on a patch of ice at the top of a hill and fell, knocking Gin down, as well. They tumbled down the hill, landing in a heap at the bottom. Greg pushed himself up onto his elbows to see Gin under him, looking up at him.

He leaned on one elbow and gently brushed a lock of hair from her face. He leaned closer to her, and as he did, he felt her breath catch. He was just an inch from her face, now. His heart was pounding.

"…Tag," he breathed, a smile appearing on his face.

A moment later, Gin smiled too. Then she promptly pushed a handful of snow into his face.

---

An hour later, Greg and Gin were defrosting next to the fireplace at the Carbunkle home. Between the tumble down the hill, and the snowball fight immediately after, both teens were soaked and frozen. Gin was taking a sip from a mug of hot cocoa when Greg spoke.

"It wasn't hypothetical."

"What wasn't?" Gin asked.

"My question earlier."

"Oh." Gin set down her mug and pulled her blanket tighter around her. She was wearing some of June's clothes while hers were being washed and dried by Mrs. Carbunkle, but they were two sizes too big, and the shirt kept slipping off her shoulders.

"I just thought you should know."

"Thanks. I…appreciate that."

Greg frowned. "Why do I sense a 'but' coming?"

"No, there's no 'but.' I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all."

"Why?"

"Because my clothes are practically falling off."

Being a teenage boy, the double meaning of her comment was not lost on Greg. He laughed, but didn't reply for fear of putting her off. He did, however, open his arms to her, offering her a hug. She gladly accepted, and Greg wrapped both of them in his blanket. He leaned back against the side of the couch, and Gin rested her head on his shoulder. Within minutes, they were both sound asleep.

---

Later, Jenny walked into the living room, carrying Greg and Gin's cleaned and dried clothes in a basket. When she saw the two teens on the couch, she stopped short with surprise, but smiled widely. She tiptoed over to the couch and gently shook Gin's shoulder. When the blonde girl opened her eyes and saw Jenny, she gasped and pulled herself out of Greg's embrace, waking him up, as well.

Greg said fuzzily, "Huh? What's wrong?" He looked up at his mother. "Mom!" he said in a strangled voice. He looked over at Gin, who was bright pink.

Jenny laughed. "I'm sorry for scaring you, but your clothes are dry." She handed Greg and Gin the basket. "Gin, after you get dressed, why don't you call your parents and ask if you can stay over for dinner?"

Gin looked down at her watch--it was already past three. "All right, Mrs. Carbunkle. I will." Jenny walked out of the room, and Gin started digging through the basket. Once she got all her clothes, she headed toward the bathroom.

"If you need any help, let me know," Greg said, waggling his eyebrows and smiling.

"All right, I will," Gin replied in a soft, husky voice.

Greg looked at her with surprise. "I wasn't serious…"

"Neither was I. But you should have seen the look on your face!" she said with a laugh. Before Greg could reply, she went into the bathroom to change.

After they had both changed, Gin called her parents and got permission to stay over for dinner. Then she and Greg went into the den and sat down to watch a movie.

"What do you want to watch?" Greg asked her.

Gin looked at the collection of movies that the Carbunkles had. "Hmm, I've never seen this one…" She held up _Gotta Love Pooches_.

"All right," Greg replied. "Then we'll watch it." He put it into the DVD player and pushed 'play' on the remote as they sat down on the couch.

"Wait, isn't it a chick flick?" Gin said, turning toward Greg.

"Yeah…" he said slowly. "What's your point?"

"You watch these kinds of movies?"

"Yeah. I've had to watch them so much, with Mom and June, that I don't mind them. In fact, this movie is one of my favorites."

"Wow, I'm impressed."

Greg smiled. "So, you're not regretting this?"

"What?"

"Us, I mean."

"Oh, no way! In fact, you're getting better and better." Greg took her hand, and he intertwined his fingers with hers. Gin smiled and leaned against him as the movie started.

---

It was late by the time Gin got home. After dinner, she and Greg had watched another movie, a horror/thriller that had made Gin bury her face in Greg's chest more than once.

"Today has been the best day of my life," Gin said softly.

"Mine, too." Greg had a feeling of déjà vu as Gin took off her hat and gloves. Greg helped her with her scarf, just like the night before. This time, though, he used the opportunity to initiate their first official kiss as a couple. It was short, but sweet, and lead to another kiss, then a third. Finally, Greg pulled away. "Good night, Gin."

"Good night, Greg. Thanks for walking me home."

"No problem." He gave her one last kiss before going out the door and walking home.

Gin sighed happily, leaning against the door. Hoku walked into the room and noticed the grin on her sister's face. "So…?"

Gin looked over at her 17-year-old sister, who looked almost identical to herself, except for the fact that Hoku's hair was as dark as Gin's was light. With a smile, she simply nodded. Hoku squealed with delight. "Tell me _everything."_

"Well…"

---

When Greg arrived at home, his mother and sister immediately set upon him. They doted on him endlessly, making comments about how cute he and Gin were, and how long they'd wanted him to start dating her.

"Mom! June! Leave me alone!" Greg said, blushing.

"Oh, Greg," Brad said as he walked into the living room. "Your mother told me all about you and Gin. I think it's time you and I had _the talk_…"

Greg paled before falling in a dead faint.

A/N: Well, that's it! I'm finished! I hope everyone liked this story (Especially you, Nintendo Maximus!). I had so much fun with this that I'll probably write more stories with Greg and Gin. In the meantime, watch out for some more Jenny/Brad fics I'll be writing!


End file.
